Indonesia Launches "Crash" Renewables Program: Boosts Geothermal FITs

While details in English on the new policy are not widely available, several English presentations by government officials in the past year indicate that Indonesia was on the verge of launching a major renewable energy development program. The crash program, not unlike the massive program announced recently by Saudi Arabia, seeks to develop thousands of megawatts of not only geothermal but other renewable energy technologies as well. And like Saudi Arabia, Indonesia is a major oil producer. However, Indonesia has fallen out of the league of major oil exporters. In the past decade Indonesia has become a net importer of oil to run its industry and power sectors and the loss of oil export earnings may play a role in the decision to rapidly ramp up renewables. Indonesia's new policy, which it labels "feed-in tariffs", offers eye-catching rates for geothermal generation. The ra...